A boy lost in the freezing forest for 2 days had miraculously survived – and what’s even more amazing is that he credits is survival to a bear he considers his best friend! Whoa.
With temperatures dropping below freezing point, a lot of people feared the worst for 3-year-old Casey Hathaway who was lost in the dense forest in North Carolina near his great-grandmother’s home.
Photo credit: The Sun UK
Casey, his sister, and cousins were just playing at the yard when the boy wandered off into the forest. The adults were alarmed when they discovered the kid was gone, especially because he was only wearing a coat and tracksuits – and such won’t protect him for a long period of time in sub-zero temperatures.
A huge search party was soon organized to find Casey, with everyone from civilians to divers and US marines joining the search. But their search was hampered by the freezing temperatures, heavy rain, and the thick forest where you could only see a few feet away.
Photo credit: The Sun UK
As the hours passed, everyone feared the worst but were hoping for a miracle.
More than 2 days later, he was found by a neighbor who was walking her dog in the forest. The dog heard a cry and ran to the forest where the boy was found some 40 yards from the road, crying underneath the bushes.
Photo credit: The Sun UK
The kid had scrapes and some cuts on this body but was otherwise alright. Everyone was thankful he was alive but were amazed at how he managed to survive the unforgiving forest, considering the sub-zero temperatures and the rains that fell in the forest during the time he was lost.
When asked what had happened, the kid said his ‘best friend’ bear came and saved him.
“He told us that his best friend the bear was with him to help keep him safe. Thanks to God’s mercy he came home to us alive and well,” his family later announced.
While the family or the rescuers are unsure whether his version of the story was true, this part of the woods does have a huge population of black bears. It is possible that the boy was sheltered by a black bear, since he would have needed warmth in those two long days to survive the freezing cold.
Photo credit: The Sun UK
Though the story sounds a little strange, this is not the first time kids claimed they were saved by bears. In 1888, a 2-year-old kid got lost in a deep valley but was later found alive; she claimed a bear kept her warm and safe that night.
In 1955, another 2-year-old kid went missing in the Kootenai National Forest in Montana, Ida Mae Curtis. The 2 days she was lost, the rain poured hard into the forest but she said she was kept safe by a bear.